Cigarette case

ABSTRACT

A cigarette case including a boxlike container portion and a closure flap overlying the open end of the container portion. A partition strap extends downwardly from the front wall of the container portion, loops across the interior thereof, and extends upwardly along the rear wall. The free upper end of the strap may be connected to either the upper end of the backwall or to the closure flap. When in the former position, the looped portion of the strap is against the bottom wall so that the container portion will accept cigarette packs of maximum length, whereas in the latter position the looped portion is above the bottom wall and the container portion accommodates packs of shorter length so that the cigarette in those shorter packs are easily accessible.

United States Patent [111 3,589,505

[72] In ent o y .l- Burniski 1,153,963 9/1915 Sengstock .1 206/D1G. 32

WarSOll Woods, FOREIGN PATENTS 1 1 pp No 815,830 at Britain 206/39 Filcd p 14,1969 383,916 11/1932 Gre [45] Patented June 29, 1971 Primar Examiner-Joseph R. Leclair [73] Assignee Swank, Inc, Prince Gardener Division Assistant Examiner.lohn M. Caskle St. Louis, Mo. Att0rneyGravely, Lieder and Woodruff [54] CIGARETTE CASE 5 clmmss Drawmg Figs ABSTRACT: A cigarette case including a boxlike container [52] LS. Cl 206F311, portion and a closure fl overlying the open end of the 206/D1G- 32 tainer portion. A partition strap extends downwardly from the [51] Int. Cl t. A24f 15/00 f wall f the container portion, loops across the interior [50] Field of Search 206/56, 41 h f d xtends upwardly along the rear wall. The free [141-2 upper end of the strap may be connected to either the upper end of the backwall or to the closure flap. When in the former [56] References Cned position, the looped portion of the strap is against the bottom UNITED STATES PATENTS wall so that the container portion will accept cigarette packs 2,718,300 9/ 1955 Goldberg et al. 206/56 M of maximum length, whereas in the latter position the looped 963,229 7/1910 Leighton 206/56 MX portion is above the bottom wall and the container portion ac- 3,395,787 8/1918 Plaskan 206/41 D commodates packs of shorter length so that the cigarette in 1,680,324 8/1928 Danville 206/D1G. 32 those shorter packs are easily accessible.

CIGARETTE CASE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates in general to carrying cases and more particularly to cigarette cases.

Cigarettes are normally marketed in soft packs of 20, and it is often desirable to encase those packs in more rigid cigarette cases, primarily to prevent the cigarettes from being crushed and to contain loose tobacco which may otherwise spread about from the open ends of such packs. Currently, cigarettes are being manufactured in three different sizes, namely, regular, king-size and 100 millimeter, and each size is significantly different in length from the other sizes. By reason of this fact, conventional cigarette cases are capable of accommodating only two sizes at the most. For example, while conventional cases may be suitable for regular and king-size packs, they are too short to accommodate 100 mm. packs. On the other hand, regular size cigarette packs fit into 100 mm. cases too deeply for convenient access to the cigarettes therein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a cigarette case capable of accommodating and protecting cigarette packs of varying sizes. Another object is to provide a cigarette case in which the ends of the cigarettes are easily accessible irrespective of the length of the cigarettes. A further object is to provide a cigarette case of the type stated which easily is converted for use with different size packs. Still another object is to provide a case which is simple and rugged in construction and attractive in appearance. These and other objects and advantages will become apparent hereinafter.

The present invention resides in a case having a container portion provided with an opening at one end. A flexible partition member loops across the interior of the container portion, and means are provided for varying the spacing between the looped portion and the opening. The invention also consists in the parts and in the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS In the the accompanying drawings which form part of the specification and wherein like numerals and letters refer to like parts wherever they occur:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cigarette case constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the case taken along lines 2-2 of FIG. 1 with a pack of 100 mm. cigarettes therein;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the case with a pack of king-size cigarettes therein; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the case with a pack of regular cigarettes therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, 2 designates a cigarette case having a boxlike container portion 4 which is fairly rigid and is configured to conform to the shape of the standard pack of twenty 100 mm. cigarettes. More specifically, the container portion 4 includes a reinforcing shell 8 which is preferably molded from a plastic having a limited amount of flexibility. The shell integrally includes a rear wall 10, a front wall 12 spaced from the rear wall 10, a pair of sidewalls 14 interconnecting the side margins of the front and backwalls and 12, and a bottom wall 16 extending across the lower margins of the front and rear walls 10 and l2 and the sidewalls 14. The opposite ends of the front and Mid! walls 10 and 112 and the sidewalls 14 define a rectangular opening 18 which provides access to the interior of the container portion 4. The length of the shell 8 is equivalent to the length of a pack of 100 mm. cigarettes, whereas the shape of the opening 18 is such that it will slidably receive a conventional pack of 20 cigarettes. The container portion 4 further includes an attractive leather or synthetic covering 20 adhcsively fastened to the outwardly presented surface of the shell 8 and extending completely across each of the walls 10, 12, 14 and 16 thereof.

The opening 18 is normally closed by a closure flap 22 which is flexible and is preferably formed from the same material as is the covering 20. The flap 22 includes a back panel 21 which overlies the back wall 10 and is sewn to the covering 20 on that backwall 10 along a stitch line 24 located adjacent to its lower margin. The closure flap 22 further includes a top panel 26 connected with the back panel 21 along a fold line 28 and a forepanel 30 connected with the top panel 26 along another fold line 32. The top panel 26 is configured to conform to the shape of the opening 28 in the shell 8, while the fold line 28 is located such that it coincides with the upper edge of the rear wall 10 when the back panel 21 is against the rear wall 10. Accordingly, when the top panel 26 is over the opening 18 the fold line 32 overlies the upper margin of the front wall 12, allowing the forepanel 30 to depend downwardly across the covering material 20 on the front wall 12. The top panel 26 is maintained across the rectangular opening 18 by means of mating snap fastener elements 33 and 34 which are secured to the covering material 20 extending across the front wall 12 and to the forepanel 30 of the flap 22, respectively. When the elements 33 and 34 are engaged the forepanel 30 will overlie the upper end of the front wall 12.

Within the interior of the shell 8, a partition strap 36 is fastened against the inwardly presented face of the front wall 12 slightly below the rectangular opening 18. That strap 36 is flexible and is preferably formed from the same material as the covering 20 and the closure flap 22. It extends downwardly along the inwardly presented face of the front wall 12, loops across the interior of the shell 8, and then extends upwardly along the inwardly presented face of the rear wall 10, although it is not permanently secured to the rear wall 10. At its free upper end the strap 36 is provided with fastener element 38 having a rearwardly projecting stud 40 which engages a mating fastener element 42 secured to the inwardly presented face of the top panel 26 centrally thereof (FIGS. 1 and 4). When the free end of the strap 36 is so connected, its midportion will loop across the interior of the shell 8 above the bottom wall 16, and the distance from that loop to the upper margin of the shell 8 approximates the length of a conventional king-size cigarette pack.

When the strap 36 is retracted into the shell sufi'iciently to allow the loop at its midportion to extend across the inwardly presented surfaces of the bottom wall 16, the stud 40 at the free end of the strap 36 will align with a vertical slot 44 in the upper end of the rear wall 10. The slot 44 opens outwardly through the upper margin of the rear wall 10 and is wide enough to accommodate the stud 40 so that when the stud 40 is inserted therein the strap 36 will lie flat against the backwall 10 (FIGS. 2 and 3).

OPERATION When the smoker desires to carry a pack 46 of mm. cigarettes (FIGS. 2 and 3), the stud 40 on the free end of the partition strap 36 is fitted into the slot 44 and the pack 46 is inserted into the shell 8 through the opening 18 therein. Since the strap 36 loops down to the bottom wall 16, it allows the pack 46 to advance into the shell until the bottom face of the pack 46 rests upon the bottom wall 16. By reason of the fact that the shell 8 is the same length as the pack 46, the upper end of the pack 46 will be presented at the rectangular opening 18 where the cigarettes are conveniently accessible to the smoker. The upper end of the pack 46 is, of course, normally protected by the top panel 26 on the closure flap 22 which is held in its closed position by engaging snap fastener elements 33 and 34.

For those smokers who prefer regular or king-size cigarettes (FIG. 4), the fastener element 38 on the free end of the strap 36 may be connected with its mating element 42 on the top panel 26. In that case the midportion of the strap 36 will loop across the interior of the shell 8 above the bottom wall 16 thereof. When a king-size cigarette pack 48 is inserted into the shell 8, the lower face of the pack 48 will engage the strap 36 which will prevent the pack 48 from advancing all the way to the bottom wall 16. On the contrary, the strap 36 allows insertion of the pack 48 only to a point where its top end is at the rectangular opening 18 so that the cigarettes therein are also conveniently accessible. Moreover, when the closure flap 22 is folded rearwardly toward the rear wall 10, the strap 36 is withdrawn slightly from the shell 8, and this, in turn, urges the upper end of pack 48 out beyond opening 18, providing even easier access to the cigarettes therein.

The partition strap 36 is left in the same position, that is with its fastener element 38 connected with the mating element 42 on the top panel 26, when regular size cigarette packs 50 are encased in the case 2 (FIG. Again, the strap 36 prevents those packs from sliding all the way to the bottom wall 16. Since packs 50 of regular length cigarettes are shorter than packs of king-size cigarettes 48, the upper ends of the regular packs will be disposed below the upper margins of the shell 8, but the difference in length is not enough to make access to the cigarettes awkward. in any event, regular cigarette packs 50 may be drawn outwardly still further for more convenient access by folding the closure flap 22 rearwardly as illustrated in FIG. 5.

This invention is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

lclaim:

1. A cigarette case for holding cigarette packs of at least two different lengths such that the cigarettes therein are easily accessiblc; said case comprising a boxlike container portion having an opening through which a cigarette pack may be inserted into the interior thereof, a flexible partition member fastened at one end to the container portion and looping across the interior of the container portion in spaced relation to the opening, and adjusting means for varying the spacing between the looped portion of the partition member and the opening so that the ends of the cigarette packs of varying lengths may be presented near the opening, said adjusting means comprising a closure flap swingably connected with the container portion such that it will overlie the opening, and a connector for releasably securing the opposite end of the flexible partition member to the closure flap, said connector including an outwardly projecting stud on the said opposite end of the flexible member, the container portion including a slot for accepting the stud when the opposite end of the partition member is detached from the closure flap, the spacing between the looped portion of the partition member and the opening being greater when the stud is in the slot than when the connector is secured to the closure flap.

2. A cigarette case for holding cigarette packs of at least two different lengths such that the cigarettes therein are easily accessible; said case comprising a boxlike container portion having an opening through which a cigarette pack may be inserted into the interior thereof, said container portion comprising opposed front and rear walls, opposed sidewalls, and a bottom wall arranged in a boxlike configuration with the bottom wall located opposite to the opening, a flexible strap partition member fastened to the front wall of the container portion and looping across the interior of the container portion in spaced relation to the opening, and adjusting means for varying the spacing between the looped portion of the partition member and the opening so that the ends of the cigarette packs of varying lengths may be presented near the opening, said adjusting means comprising a closure flap swingably connected to the backwall of the container portion such that it will overlie the opening, and a connector for releasably securing the opposite end of the flexible partition member to the closure flap, said connector including a rearwardl projecting stud on the end of the strap opposite to the end t ereof connected to the front wall, the rear wall being provided with a cutout which accepts the stud so that the strap will lie flat against the rear wall, the spacing between the looped portion of the strap and the opening being greater when the strap is connected with the closure flap than when the stud is in the cutout.

3. A cigarette case according to claim 2 wherein the cutout is a slot formed in the rear wall and opening outwardly through the margin of the rear wall which bounds the opening.

4. A cigarette case according to claim 3 wherein the closure flap includes a back panel connected to the backwall beyond the end of the slot, and a top panel foldably connected to the back panel and overlying the opening; wherein the connector attaches the strap to the top panel of the closure flap; and wherein the looped portion of the strap lies against the bottom wall when the stud is in the slot.

5. A cigarette case according to claim 4 wherein the closure flap further includes a forepanel which overlies a portion of the front wall; and wherein a connector releasably connects the forepanel to the front wall. 

1. A cigarette case for holding cigarette packs of at least two different lengths such that the cigarettes therein are easily accessible; said case comprising a boxlike container portion having an opening through which a cigarette pack may be inserted into the interior thereof, a flexible partition member fastened at one end to the container portion and looping across the interior of the container portion in spaced relation to the opening, and adjusting means for varying the spacing between the looped portion of the partition member and the opening so that the ends of the cigarette packs of varying lengths may be presented near the opening, said adjusting means comprising a closure flap swingably connected with the container portion such that it will overlie the openinG, and a connector for releasably securing the opposite end of the flexible partition member to the closure flap, said connector including an outwardly projecting stud on the said opposite end of the flexible member, the container portion including a slot for accepting the stud when the opposite end of the partition member is detached from the closure flap, the spacing between the looped portion of the partition member and the opening being greater when the stud is in the slot than when the connector is secured to the closure flap.
 2. A cigarette case for holding cigarette packs of at least two different lengths such that the cigarettes therein are easily accessible; said case comprising a boxlike container portion having an opening through which a cigarette pack may be inserted into the interior thereof, said container portion comprising opposed front and rear walls, opposed sidewalls, and a bottom wall arranged in a boxlike configuration with the bottom wall located opposite to the opening, a flexible strap partition member fastened to the front wall of the container portion and looping across the interior of the container portion in spaced relation to the opening, and adjusting means for varying the spacing between the looped portion of the partition member and the opening so that the ends of the cigarette packs of varying lengths may be presented near the opening, said adjusting means comprising a closure flap swingably connected to the backwall of the container portion such that it will overlie the opening, and a connector for releasably securing the opposite end of the flexible partition member to the closure flap, said connector including a rearwardly projecting stud on the end of the strap opposite to the end thereof connected to the front wall, the rear wall being provided with a cutout which accepts the stud so that the strap will lie flat against the rear wall, the spacing between the looped portion of the strap and the opening being greater when the strap is connected with the closure flap than when the stud is in the cutout.
 3. A cigarette case according to claim 2 wherein the cutout is a slot formed in the rear wall and opening outwardly through the margin of the rear wall which bounds the opening.
 4. A cigarette case according to claim 3 wherein the closure flap includes a back panel connected to the backwall beyond the end of the slot, and a top panel foldably connected to the back panel and overlying the opening; wherein the connector attaches the strap to the top panel of the closure flap; and wherein the looped portion of the strap lies against the bottom wall when the stud is in the slot.
 5. A cigarette case according to claim 4 wherein the closure flap further includes a forepanel which overlies a portion of the front wall; and wherein a connector releasably connects the forepanel to the front wall. 